Interview with Dawn Crandall + A GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am super excited to be interviewing Dawn Crandall today! With the final book of her Everstone Chronicles released April 1st, the #Crandalls are dying to get their hands on the final book in the series!! Well, today you have a chance!!!! woot woot!!

But first, I sat down and chatted with Dawn about the different struggles she had getting these books out, whether or not her hubby was jealous of these fine fellows in her books and much, much more!

Charity – Hey, girl!! It is awesome to get a chance to chat with THE WINNER OF “Best Inspirational Single Title in the 2015 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence” for your book, The Hesitant Heiress!!! Has it even sunk in yet?

Dawn – No! I still hardly believe it! I know I love my books, but it’s so terrific that so many readers do too!

Charity – I absolutely hate it when a series ends because we have all fallen in love with the characters and then they disappear! So, now that the trilogy is finished, will we ever hear about them again? Will you possibly be continuing on with any of them?

Dawn – Oh yes, for sure! These are the only three books I’ve written so far and have been so fabulously blessed to have found a publisher for them so quickly!! I have always known I would continue on with more characters from this series!

Next is Vance’s turn–that man needs some redemption! And he needs a heroine too! His heroine is introduced in The Captive imposter. And after that, I plan to revisit two other female characters the readers have been introduced to in the series.

Charity – SQUEEE!!!! Ohhhhh. Vance!! Nice. I can’t wait! Any time frame? I assume you are just wanting to breath right now!!

Dawn – Yes, I need to catch my breath! I know lots of people think I’m super woman and wrote these three books crazy fast, but that isn’t the case at all! They just released from my publisher so quickly! I had the first two books already written when I signed the book contract, and then had to finish the third while I was struggling through having pregnancy brain, and then having my first baby! I am not a fast writer AT ALL. So, since I’m basically starting from scratch all over again, I really have no idea what kind of time-frame I’ll be working with!

Charity – Woh. So, you are basically super woman! Well, just know that absence makes the heart fonder….but, too much absence makes people want to hunt you down (;

I’ve got to know…Lawry is my absolute favorite! He is so dreamy and kind!! He’s faithful to the end!!! Which one swept you off your feet?

Dawn – Oh my goodness! I can’t decide between my three heroes. They are each just so perfectly matched to their heroine. And I’ve quite literally fallen in love with all three of them as I was writing the books from first person point of view!!

I’m trying to make a decision, and I just CANNOT choose one over the other two!

Charity – Has your hubby read any of your books? Is he jealous of any your characters? Like, “Is this what she’s expecting of me…” ha ha (:

Dawn – He has read The Hesitant Heiress and The Bound Heart so far! He plans to read The Captive Imposter soon. He’s not much of a readers, so he has to mentally prepare himself for diving into a book. And really, he doesn’t know much about this third book. I used to talk his ear off about my books as I was writing them, but realized that really couldn’t keep up with me as I would try to get him to give me his “male” reactions to certain situations!

I don’t think he’s jealous of Nathan, Lawry or Dexter–he knows that he’s the main reason I can write a Godly, perfect-for-his-heroine-kind of heroes in the first place

Charity – AWW! So sweet!! Ok, so who is your modern day hero? I am guessing you just answered that?

Dawn – I guess so! I would never have begun writing The Hesitant Heiress five years ago if I hadn’t had 110% support from my husband. I don’t really know why or how he believed in me so much! He didn’t know a thing about how difficult it is to get a book published with a publisher!

Charity – What was it about this time period that grabbed your attention?

Dawn – The architecture was the first thing! I’ve ALWAYS loved Victorian houses and buildings! And then the clothes!

Charity – Oh yes!!!!!! I hear ya! Wouldn’t it be amazing to live in one of those homes??

Ok, so were any of these characters based on real life people? (you don’t have to name names! ha ha)

Dawn – Well, not really. Amaryllis is a lot like me. For the most part, I’m not really sure HOW the characters form! They just come to me and then they start talking and getting into turmoil-ish situations! I don’t feel that I actually make them up. It’s more that I discover them and get to tell everyone their stories.

Charity – I love that!! Well, is there someone from the Victorian Age that you really admire? I always loved the story of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert Such a great movie too!!

Dawn – I don’t really know! I think my favorite historical people are actually from way earlier than the Victorian age–like Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte. I guess I could choose author Elizabeth Gaskill–since she lived in the mid 1800s, at least.

Charity – Ok, a couple of last questions. I know you are super busy!!!

What has been the hardest part for you so far? I am guessing it’s the whole “having a baby while trying to whip out three books on a deadline”, but I could be wrong….

Dawn – Well, it was only one book on a deadline, but it was definitely challenging with having a baby right in the middle of the whole thing! Those TWO new things happening in my life all at once was pretty crazy! But getting used to being an author recognized by tons of readers was kind of trippy too! Eight months after my first release, The Hesitant Heiress, and I’m still not used to it! I probably never will be, actually!

Charity – Lastly, what advice do you have for aspiring authors trying to get into the biz?

Dawn – Join ACFW and go to the national conference! If not smaller state-run ones! Join the ACFW email critique loop and get feedback about your writing or your book! Find a critique partner who matches you! It doesn’t have to be matching genres or even POV, but matching character development and story-depth. Have a $30 paid critique of the first 15-30 pages of your manuscript done while attending ACFW.. I went to my first ACFW conference in 2011 right after joining, had meetings with two agents (which I didn’t really want to go to, but because of the crazy-encouraging things the author who did my paid critique had said about my writing, I HAD to!), sent my requested partial proposal to both of them within the month. Then, I had two agent contracts of representation to choose from within the week. Not that this NORMALLY happens, but it WON’T EVER unless you go there and TRY!

Charity – Thanks! Sounds like great advice. I appreciate you taking the time to chat Looking forward to your new series!!

Dawn – Thanks so much for having me back, for enjoying my series and for posting such fabulous reviews about my novels! You truly are a blogger who goes far and beyond all that is “needed” for the sake of your author friends!

So, here’s the fun part! So many giveaways, WHERE DO I START??

First of all, make sure to register for Dawn’s Facebook Party where you will have a chance to win MANY different giveaways. (Link is in the pic)

Secondly, every day this month, Dawn is giving away BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS!

Make sure to head on over to her blog and sign up for a new giveaway EVERY DAY!! (Link in the pic)

Lastly, Dawn is giving away a copy of her NEW RELEASE, A Captive Imposter!!!! SQUEEE!!! Just head on over to a Rafflecopter giveaway and start entering!! Only a couple entries are mandatory. The rest are just extras!! Good luck!!

**Remember, all entries will be checked and any falsified entries will be disqualified.

If you would like to see my “Face-Off” with Dawn Crandall, just head on OVER HERE and find out about favorite toilet paper brands, worst calendars ever, guilty pleasures and awkward moments!!!

Thanks Aerykah and Charity! No one can even understand how terrified I was that this third books would go down the toilet when it came to reader reviews! I was sure everyone would be able to tell I’d written while pregnant and then finished it off while trying to keep an infant alive! 🙂

I can only imagine… My sister’s son (her first) just turned one in February so I know from close observation, though not personal experience, how that can affect a lady. I’d say you did an amazing job!! 😉

Two words……Super Excited!!!! I think Dawn is an awesome person & from what I’ve read about her books…a super duper author too!!! I do have a copy of “The Bound Heart” but want to read this series in order!!

Thanks, Trixi and Charity! I cannot wait until you get to read that paper copy of The Bound Heart, Trixi! 🙂 I really hope my publisher makes them available in paperback eventually! They seem super popular to me! 😀

Dawn, that would be awesome to have them in paperback! I’m a bit old fashioned in that area…yes, I have a Kindle…BUT I much prefer a real book in my hands 🙂 Nothing like the feel of pages turning & your fingers turning black from the ink. Just not the same on a Kindle, ya know?

Hi Charity, Just wanted to let you know that I couldn’t click through on the links. I did copy and paste. I hope that will count. Also, your blog link didn’t work, so I went to the address bar and copied the link, so I could follow. Thanks for the giveaway.